The Internet of Things (IoT) involves networks that connect things, such as sensors, embedded devices, switches, machines, and other end devices, to the Internet using radio frequency (RF) communication. The “things” in an IoT network can include any end device (e.g., physical or virtual) that is provisioned with a network address such as an Internet Protocol (IP) address. The end devices can be integrated into any physical object such as cars, traffic lights, mass transportation controls, manufacturing equipment, home appliances, wearable devices, animals, and environmental constructs, for example.
LoRa is a radio frequency technology developed to create low power wide area networks for Internet of Things (IoT) applications. In current LoRa™ architecture, a network server is typically implemented as a centralized function. LoRa™ gateways forward messages from end devices, such as sensors, to the central network server. The central network server can perform media access control (MAC) address termination and can interface with an application server. Significant challenges exist, however, for providing an efficient IoT network with a potentially massive number of “things” that send messages to centralized functions.